


Death's Road, Version-capacity: Three

by Mr_Noodles



Category: DRV3, Daganronpa, Daganronpa V3
Genre: Angst, Feels, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr_Noodles/pseuds/Mr_Noodles
Summary: What happens immediately after the ending of DRV3? My thoughts about possibilities.
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

The dust from the destruction of the Academy was far from settling. Shuichi let out a little cough as he, Himiko, and Maki stared out at the world that laid ahead of them. Whatever the scenery ahead of them looked like was unclear due to the particles in the air and the sparkling blue mist coming in from the outside world.

Maki put a hand on Shuichi’s shoulder as he coughed again, rubbing the moisture from his eyes. They gazed at each other silently, each sensing the uncertainty and sadness emanating from one another. The Academy; the one ‘real’ place in their memories, had been reduced to rubble. So many of their friends had died fighting to escape, and now… Now what laid ahead was far more intimidating.

Himiko had tentatively wandered toward the hole in the cage of the Academy. Her figure, now blue-gray, bent down to examine something on the ground close to the wall. Maki’s hand gripped Shuichi tighter as she noted Himiko’s posture stiffen.

“G-guys!”

Maki launched forward, followed by an exhausted Shuichi. The scent of smoke filled their nostrils.

“Nyeehhh…” She pointed at a tuft of something soft on the ground. Her hand was shaking, but her voice was not tense with fear.

Shuichi bent down and held the tuft into the air, trying to get a good look at it through the blue mist.

“A whitish tan piece of hair…” He had already deduced what this meant.

Maki crossed her arms, “Kiibo.”

They were silent.

Shuichi scanned the area. Sure enough, there were bits of metal and wire scattered around the base of what remained of the wall. Himiko must have noticed this, too, because suddenly, she fell to her knees and began to sob. Shuichi’s eyes began to fill with tears as well. He hugged Himiko as they began to cry louder and louder. Maki stood over them protectively, but began to weep as well.

They cried, not only for the now completely destroyed Kiibo, but for everyone in the Academy who had died in the Killing Game. They cried for the dead of past Killing Games. They cried for Hope, for Despair. For the audience who had been twisted enough to encourage such depravity. 

But here they were. On the edge of the outside world. The shining blue mist was closer than ever. Could anyone hear their tears?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Didn't plan on going further, but I couldn't help it. What's the outside world like?

After what felt like hours, the entire group ran out of tears to weep. Trembling, Himiko and Shuichi stood up, arms around each other's shoulders.

“Are you two ready?” Maki asked gently as her face began to dry.

Himiko nodded vigorously.

“I’m all out of crying magic.”

Shuichi suppressed an eyeroll and dipped his head submissively.

“This is what we’ve been fighting for, isn't it?”

Maki began to stride toward the hole in the wall.

“Then, let’s go make some new memories.”

Himiko and Shuichi bounded after the girl with twintails.

“H-hey! Wait up, Maki!” Shuichi yelped, “There’s no need to go in so quickly.”

Maki gave him a subtle smirk and continued forward, “If we don’t go now, then we’re never going to leave the Academy.”

The other two had finally reached Maki.

“But we have no idea what’s on the other side!”

Himiko gave Shuichi a gentle punch to the shoulder, “Come on, Shuichi. It’s like taking off a bandaid!”

“Besides, there’s nothing left for us here,” Maki waved behind her, as she was trailed by the other two, “Everything’s been destroyed. We’re going to need food and shelter. There’s no way we can get to them at the Academy.”

Holding his hand to his mouth, Shuichi looked down.

“Well, I suppose that’s true-”

Himiko rolled her eyes, “Ugh I’ve had enough of the ‘truth’ and ‘lies’ talk!”

“Ah!” Shuichi stared at the ground beneath them. Or, what should have been the ground.

“Shuichi?” Maki tilted her head at him.

“Beneath us…” He pointed.

The sparkling blue mist that had seeped around them while they were on Academy grounds was now beneath them. Instead of dirt and grass, it looked as if the group was walking on the haze.

“C-cloud magic!” Himiko screamed, in a tone that could have been extreme excitement or fear.

Maki yelped and gave a startle. 

“What-”

Shuichi bent down and tapped the area ahead of him with his hand.

“It seems solid enough…”

Maki grimmaced, “This doesn’t make sense. Don’t tell me this place has strange physics like Miu’s game.”

Shuichi stood up crossed his arms, “It’s entirely possible. Perhaps there are some inconsistencies that we haven’t discussed during the trials. I’ve been thinking, it’s possible that the Academy is another simulation...”

“What!?” Himiko yelped, “Not again!”

“I don’t like the prospects of that, either…” Shuichi mused.

“Maybe there's ground beneath us!” Himiko gripped her pointed hat, “I just have to use my Defog magic…”

She waved her hands around to no avail.

“Nyehhh… Looks like I wasted all of my MP on my crying magic…”

Himiko waved her arms around once more, but stopped as she noticed Maki’s eyes narrow at her.

“What?” She asked, “Waving helps my-”

Maki replied flatly.

“Behind you.”

The smaller girl whirled around. A column of the fog was growing and condensing behind her. It formed into a familiar, tall shape.

“G-gonta!? I summoned Gonta by accident!”

Adjusting his lensless glasses, Gonta waved shyly at the companions.

“Hello everyone!”

Everyone tensed, remembering that despite his friendly demeanor, Gonta had willingly been an accomplice to the murder of Miu during the killing game.

“What are you doing here?” Maki snarled. 

“Oh, you not like this form? Me not actually Gonta.”

The form shifted into a replication of Kaede.

“Is this better? I just want to be friends with everyone, I’m not trying to hurt you.”

Shuichi flinched.

“Hmm, she was so nonthreatening… how about something generic?”

The form settled on a build with a dark gray coloring and pale red eyes. 

“This is how you visualized suspects, but I suppose it creates less of an emotional reaction than the forms of your friends,” The voice this form was given had a slight hissing edge to it.

Maki scowled, edging closer to the figure. Shuichi held his breath, stifling a mist-induced sneeze. Now that Maki didn’t have to worry about the Killing Game rules…

“What do you want?” Maki growled through gritted teeth, “I don’t know how you survived, Tsumugi, but I’m going to be the first to make sure-”

The figure shook their head.

“I’m not Tsumugi.”

“T-then you must be some sort of monster!” Himiko yelped, “Good for you I’m out of monster capsules!”

The figure smiled widely.

“No. You could say… I’m a representative of the Outside World.”

“Then, this is the outside world?” Shuichi mused.

“It’s outside of the world of the Academy if that’s what you mean.”

“Why isn’t it like our world -- where are the trees, the grass, the other people?”

The figure crossed their arms, trailing mist somewhat.

“Ah, I see what the problem is.”

“This place. It exists beyond the world of the Academy and the place where it resides. It exists beyond the confines of what is material.”

Himiko grabbed Maki’s arm. Maki stiffened, but allowed this violation of her bubble to pass when she felt her friend’s intense trembling.

“S-so, we’re still the only ones here..?”

The figure held a hand to their chin, “Yes and no.”

“Wha-at!?”

Shuichi also gripped Maki for support. He knew where this was going and we wanted to remain as close to his friends as possible.

“Everyone you knew is here, but they’ve… diffused. They’re all here, but are all mixed up with everyone else.”

Shuichi stared darkly ahead at the figure, “And the same thing is going to happen to us?”

“Eventually. If you want it. But if you choose to stay as you are, you’ll be put into another world.”

Maki scowled, “Reincarnation.”

The figure nodded.

“Exactly…” Shuichi whispered, “So, we’re dead.”

“Oh! Not a question! But you’re quite right.”

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That's it. I'm emotionally drained, now.

“Y-you mean we didn’t survive the destruction of the Academy?!” Himiko yelped.

The figure shook their smooth head.

“I’m afraid no one did. The audience wanted all of Daganronpa destroyed, and, well, that included you.”

“So, we didn’t change their hearts after all. They still wanted death,” Shuichi whispered. The hand that wasn’t gripping Maki was balled into a rattling fist.

“There will always be death. That is why Junko’s Killing Game will never end. Death existed before she turned it into her own personal entertainment, and will continue long after the name ‘Daganronpa’ is forgotten,” the figure shrugged, “But there is also life that comes to replace the emptiness left by death.”

“This is Hope and Despair all over again!” Shuichi yelled, tears flying, “Why can’t we be above it all?”

“This is a fog of souls,” The figure gestured around themself, “I am made of pieces of older souls. You can choose to remain in this fog of souls and combine with the rest of the dead. In a sense, that would make the soul known as ‘Shuichi Saihara’ above death and life, as your consciousness would no longer exist. Sure, it would influence the new soul that it becomes a component of, but it would no longer be ‘Shuichi Saihara’.”

“Or, you can choose to forget everything once more and be born into a new body in a new world. The majority of your personality would remain, even as you forget the events of this life.”

Himiko pointed a finger at the gray figure, “T-that’s just like what Monokuma and Tsumugi did to us!”

The soft red eyes blinked as the fog-soul-creature nodded curtly, “Correct.”

Maki slowly wrapped her arms around her two friends. They hugged each other for a long time. 

“It seems like you’re telling us to make a choice,” She finally said.

The figure had remained with their arms folded thoughtfully as the three companions adjusted to the new information about their status.

“Yes,” they replied softly.

“Diffuse into this fog and become something else, or be born again with no memories,” Maki mused.

Shuichi stared blankly, “I’d rather become a new soul…”

Himiko nodded, “I might be magical, but I want every trace of this false life gone, too…”

Maki gripped them tighter. She didn’t want to lose the first friends she had finally made. Perhaps…

“Tell me, what did the other victims of the 53rd Killing Game choose?”

The gray amalgamation of souls grinned, “Now you’re thinking. All of them chose to be born again.”

“Even Ryoma? Even Tsumugi?”

“Yes. Kaede… Had a way of convincing everyone that if they were born again, perhaps they would all meet under better circumstances.”

Himiko and Shuichi perked up at the mention of Kaede.

“Tenko chose to be reborn again! Tell me Tenko chose to be born again!”

The figure nodded.

Himiko jumped up into the air, “Then I want my soul as it is to be reborn!”

Shuichi smiled at Himiko’s exuberance, but couldn’t hold back the doubt he felt. Maki noted his indecision.

“I want to meet Kaito again, I’ll be reborn, too.”

“If everyone is going to be born as themselves again, I will as well. But this just perpetuates the cycle,” He gave the gray figure a solemn look, “Will death and life ever end? Healing that leads to pain -- will it continue? And if this oppositional cycle does end, what happens after it?”

“So many big questions for such a small boy,” the apparition teased, “Not even I know. I’m just a combination of souls. Perhaps there is something more outside of this cycle. But perhaps the fact that there are warring forces keeps everything in motion.”

“You’ve made your choice?”

Shuichi nodded, “Yes, I’ll be born again.”

“We’ll be born again,” Maki corrected.

“And someday…” Himiko added.

“Someday we’re going to meet once more.”


End file.
